Monday, November 07, 2011

Free press can, of course, be good or bad, but,most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad--Albert Camus

Put it before them brieflyso they will read it,clearly so they will appreciate it,picturesquely so they will remember itand, above all,accurately so they will be guided by its light.--Joseph Pulitzer______________________

"A former Army Ranger and owner of a local Oakland pub, Kayvan Sabeghi, 32, was attacked by a gang of armed police while walking near his home last night in Oakland. The decorated Iraq War veteran and former Army Ranger is thought to have been picked out by police because he “looked foreign.”

"Sabeghi, who suffered a life threatening ruptured spleen in the unprovoked, racially motivated hate crime, was then arrested for “resisting arrest” and denied medical care. Perhaps the police had made a mistake and the real crime was “walking home” and “resisting arrest” was a secondary charge.

"Sabeghi, though near death, was held without medical treatment for hours even after bail had been posted.

"Hours later, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he remains in Intensive Care.

"Though Sabeghi is a decorated war veteran, a group often singled out by police out of 'insecurity,' this attack also is a likely 'hate crime' as well, requiring a federal response."

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan has been called by some to resign. Will she reprimand the police for use of excessive force? What do you think the correct action should be?

One thing is certain: We sure do love us some veterans, save when they are exercising their First Amendment rights.

From what I can tell from the news (and it's a sad observation that especially where cops are concerned it's kinda like reading Pravda to find out what's going on in the Kremlin...) the Oakland coppers are pretty much out of control. My ex-brother-in-law, who lived there in the 90's used to call them the OaKlan because of their whiteness and generally mean disposition, and it doesn't look like they've gotten any more Officer Friendly.

Rodney King violated several of Chris Rock's axioms on 'how not to get your ass kicked by the po-lice'... he was the architect of his own contusions, and until the last few swipes, the police dealt the use of force that the Mayor, City Council, and Chief (as elected by 'duh peeple') had written. Beatdowns don't get any more democratic than his.

Everything available about Oakland indicates that the cops *violated* policy, which means that the victims are probably going to be screwed out of any recompense when the city invokes vicarious liability, and the lawyers learn that all they can pick are some empty ex-cop pockets.